Author/Editor		Avsec-Letonja, Danica; Zabavnik, Zoran
Title		Možganska smrt - informiranost zdravnikov
Translated title		Brain death - how are the doctors informed and what do they think?
Type		članek
Source		Zdrav Vestn
Vol. and No.		Letnik 67, št. 7-8
Publication year		1998
Volume		str. 401-3
Language		slo
Abstract		Background. First criteria for brain death were published in the USA in 1968. After this dae they were changed many times, and became more simple. Today brain death still worries professional and lay people equally. A routine and precise diagnostic approach is a vital and essential condition for a good transplantation programme. This programme is still not satisfactory in Slovenia. We wanted to establish a level of knowledge and the personal opinion of the Slovene specialists regarding brain death. Only specialists involved in the treatment of the brain death patients or transplantations were interviwed. We wanted to ascertain what the specialists thought about the third criteria of brain death and also about new rules following diagnostics of brain death. Methods. We carried out a survey. This survey was also intended to encourage rethinking about this very special medical field. Brain death and the criteria for diagnosis first have to be completely clear in professional circles, and as a consequence lay people would be well informed when asking about donations. The survey was anonymous. We distributed questionnaires to 58 doctors, who were divided into two groups. The first group construed doctors who were in contact directly with brain death patients. The second group construed those doctors who were interested in transplantation as a treatment for seriously ill patients. Results and conclusions. The knowledge of criteria for brain death is better in the first group, and also the personal opinion is more appropriate in the first group. However, we would like to stimulate other collegues to feel confident about the knowledge of brain death and to promote transplantation because we are placed between two very depressive situations - on the one hand an irreversible damage of the brain resulting in brain death, and on the other one seriously ill chronic patients in need for transplantation. If we are well informed, we can work better.
Summary		Izhodišča. Prvi kriteriji za možgansko smrt so bili v svetu objavljeni leta 1968. Po tem času so se večkrat spremenili in delno poenostavili. Utečeno diagnosticiranje možganske smrti je predpogoj za presajanje organov, ki v Sloveniji še ni na zavidljivi ravni. Avtorja sta želela preveriti, kakšen je odziv zdravnikov specialistov, povezanih s presaditveno dejavnostjo, na tretjo generacijo kriterijev za ugotavljanje možganske smrti in kakšno je razmišljanje o možganski smrti v tej populaciji. Cilji in metode. Avtorja sta z anonimno anketo anketirala 58 zdravnikov specialistov. Razdelila sta jih v dve skupini. V prvi skupini so bili zdravniki, ki naj b ibili odgovorni za diagnosticiranje možganske smrti (anesteziologi, nevrokirurgi, nevrologi), v drugi pa tisti, ki niso neposredno udeleženi v diagnostičnem postopku, pa naj bi bili kot terapevti zainteresirani za presaditveno dejavnost (internisti). Z anketo sta poskušala ugotoviti, kakšno je poznavanje kriterijev in postopkov v zvezi z ugotavljanjem možganske smrti in po ugotovitvi možganske smrti. Ugotavljanja sta tudi, kakšni so osebni pogledi anketirancev na možgansko smrt in presaditev. Poleg tega sta želela z anketo spodbuditi razmišljanje o možganski smrti in postopkih po postavitvi te diagnoze, saj morajo biti vse dileme o tem pomembnem področju najprej popolnoma razjasnjene v strokovnih krogih. Rezultati in zaključki. Poznavanje kriterijev za ugotavljanje možganske smrti in postopkov po ugotovitvi možganske smrti je bilo bolj primerno v prvi skupini, še zlasti med anesteziologi. Treba bo vzbuditi več zanimanja za to področje tudi med zdravniki, ki niso neposredno vpleteni v diagnostiko možganske smrti, saj je zdravljenje s presaditvijo edini možni način ozdravitve pri mnogih težkih kroničnih boleznih.
Descriptors		BRAIN DEATH PHYSICIANS ATTITUDE SPECIALTIES, MEDICAL QUESTIONNAIRES